IN DECEMBER 1934 there was to be an election of councillors for Imlay Shire. I was approached several times to be nominated. Finally I agreed. I topped the poll with the highest number of votes. The second year after my election I was elected president. Then I set to work in real earnest. I had three schemes on my schedule - water, electricity, and concrete footpaths.

I had in my mind to give the amenities of life to as many people as possible in isolated areas. I was well aware that these projects would meet with hostile opposition, for the reason many people never travelled very far to realise the comforts electricity and water would bring to them. Once a rate was mentioned to make provision for these urgent necessities, I was cursed and ridiculed, but being a man of strong willpower, I was determined to persevere with my policy.

Candelo, Merimbula, Pambula and Eden were only clay on a wet day. If a woman stepped out of a car she would find her shoe sticking in the mud in any of these towns.

The first move was to strike a twopenny rate on the unimproved capital value within the town boundaries. I called a public meeting to discuss the proposal, almost everyone agreed. Eric Spooner, who was Minister for Works and Local Government at the time, agreed with my suggestion and he would subsidise the cost on a 50:50 basis.

At the council meeting a couple of weeks after the public had agreed to the levy of this rate, petitions were handed to me by the clerk, opposing the scheme, and signed by all those who voted for it. I just walked to the waste paper basket and that's where the petitions went. I informed those concerned that they would have their footpaths whether they liked it or not. I was well in the gun. In fact, halfway down the barrel, and could smell black powder. What did I care? I would be paying the rate for my portion.

Another election came on and there was a move to have me thrown out, but no-one would oppose me. Didn't matter if they did, I would have been returned with a bigger majority.